Anything is Worth It
by Kristen3
Summary: Daphne has plans to meet Niles for lunch, but things don't go as planned when she accidentally turns on her car alarm. Post-series one-shot. Thanks to Melinda (samanddianefan10) for encouraging me and offering suggestions!


Daphne smiled as she left the bank. She would never get used to being financially comfortable, after so many years of living paycheck-to-paycheck. But it was one more bonus that came with being married to Niles. Even if they were dirt poor, Daphne knew she'd never want to be with anyone else.

Thankfully, David was sound asleep, his head on her shoulder. As she loaded him into the carseat, she couldn't help thinking that he looked like an angel. She gently kissed his cheek before closing the door and getting behind the wheel. After putting on her seatbelt, she put the keys into the ignition. The car started up at once. And then, it happened. As she prepared to put the car into gear, she accidentally hit one of the buttons on her car's remote. Immediately, the car alarm began blaring. Her four blinkers went on, too. If that wasn't bad enough, the noise woke David. His cries competed with the noise from the alarm. "Bloody hell."

When they'd bought the vehicle, Niles had been very careful about showing her how everything in it worked. They'd gone over the owner's manual so many times, she practically had the thing memorized. But now, when she needed the information, she couldn't remember a single thing she read. "Oh, David, it's all right," she said, turning back to face him. "I'll get the alarm off in just a moment." But her words did nothing to calm him. From where she sat, it was impossible to touch the baby, much less hold him. Her heart broke, knowing how frightened he must be of the loud noise. A moment later, she got back out of the car, walking over to his side.

As soon as she was outside the car, a man leaned out of a car that was obviously waiting to take her parking spot. "Lady, what are you doing? Turn that stupid thing off! We ain't got all day!"

But Daphne ignored him. Her focus was on her son. She removed him from the carseat. "Sh…..it's all right," she whispered. She pulled the baby close, stroking his cheek and kissing his forehead. But it was clear he still didn't like the noise.

"Lady, turn your alarm off already!" Suddenly, Daphne remembered where she was. For a moment, she'd been lost in the miracle baby she held.

"Bloody hell! Can't you see I've got a lot going on here? I'm supposed to be meeting me husband, and now I'll be late..."

"Well, if ya get in the car, turn off the alarm, and hit the gas, you'll be on your way," the man said sarcastically.

Fuming, Daphne put David back into his carseat, went around to the driver's side and got back in. Out of desperation, she removed the key from the ignition. The alarm went silent. After breathing a sigh of relief, Daphne finally put the car into drive. As she turned to leave the parking lot, she made eye contact with the rude driver. "Have a nice day," she said, giving him an insincere smile. She would gladly have told him off, but that wasn't the sort of behavior she'd ever want David to witness.

As she drove, she calmed down some, but she remained shaken. Most of all, she felt sorry for David. He'd been sound asleep, and suddenly he was startled awake by noise. She knew it probably wasn't a big deal for him, but still. When she arrived at Niles' office, she took David back out of the car. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that," she said, holding him close. "I promise, I'll never do that again!"

Daphne walked into the building, still holding David very close. Niles stood as soon as he saw the two enter. "I was beginning to worry," he said, hugging them both. "What happened?"

"I stopped at the bank," Daphne said."But that wasn't what made me late. As I got ready to leave, I accidentally turned the car alarm on. It made so much bloody noise, it woke David. He was screaming. I didn't know what to do."

Any annoyance Niles had felt melted immediately. "Oh…."

"Yes," Daphne agreed. "Plus some rude man kept yelling at me to turn the alarm off, instead of comforting David. It was awful."

"Well, I'm glad you two are here, and in one piece," Niles said. He hugged them both one more time.

After a moment, Daphne looked at David. He was none the worse for his ordeal. "Well, I think someone wants to have lunch with his Daddy."

"What a coincidence," Niles said. "I wanted to have lunch with the most beautiful woman in Seattle, and the best son a father could ask for. Looks like we both get what we want."

Daphne slipped her free hand into Niles'. What she'd gone through today was more than worth this moment. Anything would've been worth it.

 **The End**


End file.
